Suggestions for next year's TdF

Pross

A few here:-

Go back to basics - audax style, give them a route and let them get on with it. First one back wins.

As others have said a downhill time trial would sort the men from the boys.

A courier TT stage, give them 10 parcels to deliver around Paris in the quickest possible time.

A stage in the UK held entirely on cycle paths or cycle lanes (will make the pave look like child's play).

A devil take the hindmost crit with a rider eliminated after each lap, you lose 10 seconds for every lap before the winner you get eliminated.

Pross

iainf72 wrote:

What about getting a pile of preening fanboi's to chase their favourite riders around in a very camp Benny Hill style?

Wouldn't that be tough for some though as they'd have to decide which one of their signature line to chase

knedlicky

In the past the Tour used to include unpaved passes and maybe one or two could be re-introduced, e.g.

Port du Rat in the Pyrenees

If unpaved is judged too dangerous for descents, there are some passes which are gravel one side, asphalt the other, like Col d’Artigascou, also in Pyrenees.

I'd also like to see the Tour visit Corsica, for the landscape, especially the NW of the island, the area bound by Ajaccio and Calvi on the coast, and Corte in the middle.
There's actually an off-chance this might happen because it's in negotiation to start the 2013 TdF in Corsica, the first 2-3 days there, with no prologue and including a middle mountain stage.

will3

A mountain stage on 9 seater bikes.

symo

Biathalon style stage where they have to get off the bike and shoot at 5 targets for each shots that misses they lose a minute, then they have their overall time for the stage carrying a rifle.

simonaspinall

Penultimate Night-shift stage - Start at Midnight from x place and arrive at dawn into Paris.

Winner gets an Ovaltine and cosy blanket.

No_Ta_Doctor

simonaspinall wrote:

Penultimate Night-shift stage - Start at Midnight from x place and arrive at dawn into Paris.

Winner gets an Ovaltine and cosy blanket.

Oh top work, a night race would be awesome.


Lets put it on pave

mroli

symo wrote:

Biathalon style stage where they have to get off the bike and shoot at 5 targets for each shots that misses they lose a minute, then they have their overall time for the stage carrying a rifle.

Frank Schleck (or Vande Velde) cycling whilst carrying a rifle.

Now if that isn't a recipe for disaster when they fall off, I don't know what is!

simonaspinall

London marathon fancy dress stage - Lance has to wear a giant radio outfit, Contador as a Kazakh oil well, Wiggo as a Paul weller tribute act, Thor as as a Viking - Ooooo it's a cracking opportunity for quirky national cliches!

Limburger

Introduce 'The Sniper'. Give each team a gun or rifle (which ever is most practical) with only a few bullets. That would make it interesting.

Who has the gun?
When will they use it?
Is it on a rider or in the team car?
Will they use it on the opposition of their own team?
Will they shoot to kill or just incapacitate?

For practicalities you could give them a paintball gun or tranquillizer darts.

Better still drug darts - one performance enhancing - one performance retarding.
That way you can have someone disappearing off up a mountain looking unstoppable, then, an opponent pops up and shoots him full of Nytol - reloads - then shoots his own man full or marching powder.

Classic fun for all the family.

simonaspinall

Strong man pull TTT - Team time trial involving pulling the team bus in a quarter mile contest.

Extra points to the opposition if they sneakily put the handbrake on.

simonaspinall

Strong man pull TTT - Team time trial involving pulling the team bus in a quarter mile contest.

Extra points to the opposition if they sneakily put the handbrake on.

morstar

LOL, very funny thread but there is actually a strong case for the downhill ITT I reckon.

Biggest issue would be timing as you'd need 3 minute gaps. Could be tricky with nearly 200 riders.